Upright paper-clip



(No Model.)

I. W. HEYSINGER.

UPRIGHT PAPER cLIP. No. 327,440. Patented Sept. 29, 1885.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR (%QQ N FFIERS, Pho fbliihopaphur. Wahinflon, D.C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ISAAC W. HEYSINGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

UPRIGHT PAPER-CLIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 327,440, datedSeptember 29,1885.

Application filed May 10, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Isaac W. HEYSINGER, of Philadelphia-,in the countyof Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Upright Paper-Clips, &c., of which thefollowing is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had tothe drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a plan view, from above, of a clip embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section along the line ofthe spring 0. Fig. 3 shows a construction of the clamping-lever wherebypapers, 820., may be held at various angles. Fig. 4 is a modified formin which the clampingjaws are made mutually adjustable upon transversecenters, so as to hold papers at various angles. Fig. 5 is a view of aclamping-lever, detached, with its thumb-piece and clamping-jaw formedin two parts hinged together by the screwD. Fig; 6 shows the same inperspective, the binding-screw D being shown detached. Fig. 7 is a frontview in cross-section taken at the line where the clamping-jaw ispivoted to the base. Fig. 8 is a side View of the same,showing theclutch E, by which it is fixed to the thumb-piece at any desired angleby means of the screw D, and Fig. 9 shows a board held in place by thejaws of the clip, and supporting a sheet of paper, letter, or design,tobe copied, the same being held from falling by the adjust-able band orholder P.

Like letters refer to like parts.

My invention relates to the construction of a spring clip for holdingpapers, cards, calenders, copies for writing or drawing, models,

photographs, &c., in which the said papers, &c., are held in an erect orslightly-inclined position, so as to be easily read or seen upon amantel, table, desk, &e., and in which, if desired, the angle at whichthey are held may be varied so as to give them a greater or lesserectness of position as may be most suitable for the purposes required,the device also being adapted for use as a paper weight, the jaws of theupright clip forming a convenient handle for moving the same about fromplace to place.

(No model.)

While the device may have its thumb and clamping lever attached to itsbase in various ways, I prefer to use the means shown and described andpatented to me in my Letters Patent of the United States No. 226,402,dated April 13, 1880, upon which, in so far-,it is an improvement, thesame general arrangement of spring, thumb-lever, heel impinging uponspring, and clamping-jaw being used with a base; but the device asherein described is so modified in its construction as to render ituseful for purposes to which the former invention was not adapted, andat the same time take away its utility for the purposes set forth in theLetters Patent aforesaid.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 I show a flat, preferably square oroblong, base, A, raised from the table by the beveled margin A, andslotted diagonally through the middle for the reception of the flatbar-spring O, which rests at its extremities upon the shouldersa a.(Shown in Fig. 2.) Aboutthe middle of this spring-slot there extendsacross it from side to side,arched over the same and rising above thesurface of A, an upright, A which extends directly upward, being slopedin front and rear, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to makeit, of cast metal,and also to give its forward surface, where engaged upon by theclampingjaw, a cant or rake backward, so that the papers held upon thesaid surface by the clampingjaw B will set backward, so as to insureeasy reading, and give a graceful slope to the articles held in the theclip. As shown in Fig. 2, this upright A extends above the point whereit is impinged upon by the clamping-jaw B, to sup port the papers andprevent them from tipping backward upon the lip of the clampingjaw as apivot. In front of the upright A the base is carried forward, as shownin Fig. 2, and is provided on the sides of the springslot with a pair ofopen sockets, A, closed 13 B of the clamping-lever B may be seated byinsertion from beneath, and be held up in place by the upward pressureof the spring 0 against the heel B This clamping-lever B consists of athumb-piece, B, extending insure easy casting if made, as I prefer to yabove and open beneath, into which the pins 5 backward from thepivot B,and overhanging the base and spring-slot A so that it may be depressedby pressure upon the top surface of the said thumb-piece. At its forwardend itis bent sharply upward, above the pivot B", to form aclamping-jaw, B B, which impinges upon the flat surface of A and isadapted to clamp and securely hold any papers, 810., interposed betweenthe said jaws in the manner of an easel. This thumb-lever P; is pivotedto the base by the pins B 13*, which are seated from the under side inthe sockets A A the thumb-lever being adapted to be slipped into placethrough spring-slot A Fig. 3, the said spring-slot being cut away at thesides, as shown in Fig. 1, to admit the passage of the same.

Thethumbpiece B, in rear of the pins B B is: provided with a'downwardly-projecting heel B which extends beneath the level of thepivots B" B, and impinges against the upper surface of the flat spring 0between the shoulders a a, so that the upward pressure of the springholds: the thumb-piece audits pivots up to place, and at the same timesecures-a-firmclamping of the jaw B against the opposite jaw, A whilepressure upon the thumb-lever B will cause the jaws to open, thepivots BB forming the center upon which theclamping-lever rotates.

By slipping the spring 0 out of its sockets a' a the thumb-piece may bereadily disengaged, or conversely. In order to'secure even pressureagainst the papers held in the clip along the lip of the clampingjaw Bwhere it abutsagainst the opposite jaw, A I provide theedge' of theclamping-jaw (see'Figs; 2 and 6) with a strip of rubber or other elasticsubstance, shown at B, which I prefer to set into the edge'of theclamping-jaw B by means of the dovetail groove B Fig. 6, though it maybe applied otherwise, if desired; and if such evenness of fit be notrequired along the edge of the clamping-jaw B I dispense with theelastic cushion altogether. This cushion 13, extending along the lip ofB will closely apply itself to the surface of A under pressure of thespring 0, and'securely hold papers, 820., without lateral slippingthereof. I prefer to form the base A of cast metal in the form of apaper-weight, either square, oblong, polygonal, oval, or round, and tomake it sufficiently heavy to perform the functions of such paper-weightI also provide 'thebase A with the screw-holes A A, by

meansof which I attach the device to a desk or table or to a loose boardof ornamental or protective character or to a pad of such size as toprevent tipping over of the clip when used for holding large cards,pictures, &c., I also sometimes make the device exceedingly light andornamental in character, for use as an ornamental card or photographholder in parlors, 850. I also provide it, when made of suitable sizefor use by copyists, artists, &c., with a detachable-board, P, ofpasteboard, wood, or other material, which I provide at its upper partwith a clip or holder or adjustable spring-band, P, so that when theboard P is inserted, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9, the papers are held fromdropping out sidewise or slipping by the support afforded by the elampP,

which holds the said papers against the said board, while the base ofthe clip A affords a support against dropping downward by their weight,or when the clamp P is not used, so

that the device acts as an easel of an exceedingly simple, compact, andeffective character.

Instead of a spring-band at P, I sometimes use a metallic spring orlever clamp of any of the forms in use for like purposes in letterclips,8w.

While the backward slope or rake of A (shown in Fig. 2) is sufficient ingeneral, it is sometimes desirable to secure various adjustments ofinclination for the copy in the holder. I accomplish this in a cheapconstruction, in the manner shown in Fig. 3, where the inside of theclamping-jaw B at its lower part and above the pivots B B is widenedinits space from point to rear, and provided along its bottom with aseries of vertical or inclined transverse serrations, B 13*, openingupward,

and into any one of which the bottom of the board P may be inserted, andwhich will correspondingly incline the board P to a greater or lessdegree. In this case the part of A which projects above the lip of thejaw B, (see Fig. 2,) and which in that figure supports the back of theboard P above the point of impingement of the clamping-lip B is removed,so that the clamping-jaw B may engage against the upright A at its top,so that the various slopes of the board P in the serrations B B may notbe interfered with.

WVhere a more positive guidance is required for the adjustable board P,I use the construction shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8. This may be brieflydescribed as the hinging of the upright A upon a transverse pivot at itslower part and a similar hinge or pivot at or near the joint of theclamping-lever B so that each part can be set backward. or forward tovarious angles, and then be tightened up by screws or springs actingalong the line of the pintle of said hinges, so that the jaws may beadapted to each other at different angles relative to the base withoutinterfering with the action of the pivots B E the heel B the spring 0,or the thumb-lever B. In Fig. 6 Ishow athumb-screw, D, detached. In Fig.5 the same is shown without a thumb-screw head, however, inserted intothe hinge-joint.

tating the said screw. I also sometimes secure this adjustment by theuse of a spring acting against the serrated surfaces E E, Figs. 7 and 8,so that a very ready adjustment may be secured; but for ordinarypurposes I prefer the simpler solid construction shownin Figs. 1 and 2,which can be cast to any angle required for the special class of work inview at the time the device is made.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the horizontal base A, spring 0, upright jaw A,extending vertically above said base, pivoted upright clamping-jaw Badapted to impinge thereupon and hold cards, papers, 850., insubstantially a vertical position, and laterallyprojecting thumb-pieceB, substantially as described.

2. An upright paper holding clip and weight, consisting of an expandedhorizontal base provided with an upwardly-projecting central jawextending vertically above the said base and adapted to be used as ahandle for the paper-weight and a jaw for the paperclip, and alaterally-projecting thumb-lever actuated by a spring and'provided withan angularly raised clampingjaw to close against said upright jaw of thebase, and hold papers or other articles between the said jaws in anupright or inclined position upon a desk or table, substantially asdescribed.

3. In combination with the base A, pro vided with a transversespring-slot, A having terminal spring-supporting shoulders a a,

.and an n )ri ht -aw A arched over said spring-slot and extending upwardfrom the same, a clamping-lever, B, having pivoted supports B B, seatedfrom beneath in the open sockets A A a projecting thumb-piece, B, anupwardly-projecting clampingjaw, B, and a heel, B, in rear of saidpivots B B,

together with a flat spring, 0, supported upon said shoulders a a, andextending beneath the arched upright A, the clamping-jaw B and thethumb-piece B, and impinging against the under surface of the said heelB substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In combination with the upright paperclip, consisting of the base A,having the upright jaw A, and a spring thumb-lever, B, having theclamping-jaw B adapted to impinge against the said upright jaw A, thetransverse serrations B B', formed within the jaws B A, to receive thelower edge of the card 1?, and secure adjustment thereof at (lifferentangles, substantially as described.

5. The adjustable upright clip A B G, having base A, upright jaw A,spring clamping- 'lever B, having thumb-piece B, and clamping-jaw B anda spring, 0, adapted to compress togcther the jaws B" and A, said jawsbeing made independently adjustable upon their supporting parts by meansof the hinged joints E E, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

6. As an article of manufacture, an upright paper-clip, consisting of ahorizontal metallic base provided with a transverse spring-slot, A,shoulders a a, upright jaw A, extending vertically above the saidspring-slot, the pivoted spring clamping-jaw B adapted to impingeagainst the said upright jaw A, and the spring 0, the said base A beingprovided with the holes A A, or their equivalents, for the reception ofscrews, 850., for permanent attachment of the said clip to a desk ortable, or to an extended wooden. or other base, substantially asdescribed.

7. As an article of manufacture, the upright paper-clip consisting ofthe horizontal base A, having spring slot A, provided with shoulders aa, journal-boxes A A opening downward, and vertical jaw A, together withthe clamping-lever B, having the horizontal thumb-piece B,angularly-raised clampingjaw B, heel B and journals or pins B B, thesaid lever B, with its journals, being held up in place and the partskept together by the upward impingement of the spring G against the heelB thereof, substantially as described.

ISAAC \V. HEYSINGER.

Witnesses:

J. L. HEYSINGER, M. B. FENNINGER.

